In the Hall of the Mountain King
by imaginotaur
Summary: Klaus is an all-powerful King. Caroline is a clairvoyant village girl. When Klaus gets word of the girl's talent, he takes her captive in hopes to gain the upper hand over Mikael. For some reason, when she's around Klaus, Caroline's dreams and visions start to make sense, but will their alliance endure long enough to find out just what that reason is?
1. Chapter 1

The hall was sort of beautiful, made of jagged, black stone that rose higher than she could see, the cieling, or whatever lay above her, coated in grey fog. There were candles along the walls that burned with tall, sliver flames, making the moist, black walls glitter prettily, but still it was so dark. A bittersweet melody with a low undertone played it's way through the halls, speaking of dark, cruel majesty.

She could do nothing but walk down the hall. Running didn't work, she'd tried that before. It was best to just wait this nightmare out until she returned to reality. Still, she felt and inclination to dance, twirl herself beautifully down the hall. Caroline wasn't a good dancer by any means, but her feet had a mind of their own, pulling her body into fluid archs as she moved, as she danced. She knew this part, and she'd come to love it. She'd had this dream many times, and this was where someone grasped her from behind, not menacing, though, he was dancing with her to this sad melody.

When Caroline was young, she thought of this person as the prince to her princess, that, when she was older, she'd meet him, and he'd be tho one to save her from what came later in that dream. But Caroline learned this was not the case. As they danced, she felt a voilent, loathsome presence, as she always had, right when she was starting to enjoy the dance. Right before the song came to an end, this loathsome being swept her away, and his teeth sank in into her neck. Her prince and this villain were the same person.

Caroline jolted out of her dream, her hand shooting to her neck as it always did, making sure her throat was intact. She sighed, her back sweaty and her palms sticky. She'd expected somethig more. Today was the day he came for her, after all. Shed been seeing it since she was seven. The day the monster came for her. Of course, back then, she was sure someone would come to her rescue, and didn't she deserve to be rescued? But now that the day had come, she knew different.

Caroline broke away from her musings, stepping out of her warm bed, careful as not to wake her sleeping siblings. She grabbed har dress and undershirt, heading outside to the small creek by har family's home to bathe. She didn't quite know what to do with herself. Should she run? She'd thought of it many times. It wouldn't do her any good, after all. He'd find her, and if not, she'd never be able to return to her village or see her family again. What does one do on the day they know they're to be doomed to a fate they can't escape?

It wouldn't be right to simply go about her normal business, but what else was she to do? Round up an army to stand against him, the King? No one would dare. They say he's a monster, that he's not right with nature, an abomination. How right they were, and how wrong, at the same time. Ever since the day, nine years ago, when she'd started seeing him, him coming for her, him massacring villages, she couldn't escape the truth about the King, and his past and his future.

She knew more about him than anyone else did, she thought, but still very little, as sometimes his future didn't appear so clearly and she felt he was a man that kept many secrets. Even unwillingly, she'd see him in her mind, him plundering villages, him taking his first steps as an infant, him sinking his teeth into another nameless victim, him drawing beautiful works of art. Good, bad, there was no in between, it was as if she was seeing two different people with the same beautiful face. That was the art of his being a ruthless predator, she supposed.

Caroline finished bathing, dressed herself, and picked her basket from inside the door of the small house, heading into town to do her "job", the only way her family could make any decent money. She held post at her very own tent in the square, where she told fortunes for silver pieces. People in the village usually didn't come by this little stand, knowing it was just little Caroline in the tent and did she _really _see the future? But every once and a while, a big name would come in from some mansion in the countryside, getting their fortune told just for kicks.

Of course, she completely astounded them when she took their hands and allowed them to glimpse into their future or perhaps their past, whatever they fancied. She loved getting rich, greedy customers like this, because they'd stay in her tent all day, shelling out peice after peice of silver and watching their lives flash around in front of them like they were in a story. She always returned home with very heavy pockets on days like that. Other days, not so much.

She opened the leaves of her navy blue tent, pinning them back. She set her basket of flowers on the ground beside her, where pillows adorned the grass floor and she sat in peace for most of the day. Usually, Caroline would bring a book to read or something to draw with, but today was the day the little Patterson girls came to visit. They'd stay for hours, listening to Caroline's fairytales, making daisy chains and crowns from her flowers.

They often asked about their futures, if they had any princes or knights in shining armor, and Caroline responded positively, lying up a story of how they'll each one of them marry a handsome prince someday. They stopped believing her years ago, but they loved hearing it, nonetheless. Caroline started weaving a crown of flowers, tying stem to stem, until she heard the trampling of hooves against solid ground. She didn't think he'd be coming this early. Caroline suddenly regretted not saying goodbye to her family somehow, she thought she'd get to return home at meal time and bid them all farewell...

She watched from her small tent as villagers fell to hands and knees, bowing to his royal highness, King Niklaus. Fear struck her when she saw the white horses decorated in chain mail, as one tall, graceful figure descended from his horse to the earth, sauntering toward her with sickening confidence. He ducked into her small space, his head hitting the cieling as he hovered over her. To Caroline's credit, she continued making her crown, not even looking up at him.

"Hello, Caroline." Niklaus greeting, taking her somewhat aback, as was intended. She didn't show any outward appearances of intimidation or wavering in her confidence, however.

"Your highness, King Nik," she greeted, impolitely using his pet name from childhood. If she were anyone else, she would've been beheaded for that little retort, but she knew how far she was able to push her boundaries, "Would it degrade you so much to take a seat in the grass?" Caroline asked, gesturing to the open spot in front of her, finally looking up at him.

"Indeed, it would." He sneered cruelly, laughing quietly at her petty rudeness.

"How unfortunate," Caroline said, "Here I thought you were going to be civil." King Niklaus sighed heavily, already annoyed by this little mortal girl. He decided to play nice, however, descending gracefully to the ground. Caroline shivered slightly, frightened by the speed in which he moved. "I'm not under the impression-"

Caroline had began to speak, when she was interrupted but a vulgar scene of bloodshed and fire. Faint screams rang in her ears as she saw a man, tall and strong and ugly...Mikael. He had come to the village to seek her assistance in tracking down Niklaus, his son, but when he learned that Niklaus was already there, her went on a violent rampage, ripping Klaus' men to shreds, wreaking havoc in the village square. She saw bloodshed and fire, white horses coated in blood, corpses decorating the square. Mikael was coming here, to her home, he'd be here within the day.

Niklaus watched her intently, his head cocked to the side with lips parted. An image flashed in her mind of him sitting upright before her, eyes glazed over, throat slit, blood gushing from a stab wound in his chest, then back to him looking perfectly alive and well.

"Tell me what you saw." Niklaus demanded harshly, gripping her shoulders in a vice and bringing her close to him in an act of intimidation. She pushed away from him, but he wouldn't release her.

"A man that you fear is coming for you...today. He's a...hunter. And should you stay here, you'll die." Caroline whispered, bringing her hand to his neck. With her touch came her visions. She gave him her eyes for a moment, showing him what she'd seen. Despite the gruesome scene, Klaus smiled, amazed by her gift and the warmth of her touch. She retracted her hand, sitting back where she was, away from him. She didn't like to be so close to a killer, no one would, she just wanted him to leave.

"Amazing." Klaus said, smiling at Caroline, entranced by her and her talents.

"You idiot. Did you even see that? Leave!" Caroline shouted, somewhat panicked at his ease with death and destruction, his own death, even.

"Yes," he replied, anger seeping into his voice, "Come on then, love, let's be on our way." Klaus grabbed her by the arm and yanked her into the air, catching her with ease as she fell into his arms. She smacked his shoulders, demanding to be put down.

"I can't come with you. The man that's looking for you...Mikael, he's coming here to meet with me and inquire about your location, so he can find you and kill you. If he doesn't find me here, he'll know it was you that took me." Caroline pleaded. Klaus paused for a moment, thinking.

"Damn him! You'll lie to him. You'll tell him that I've gone to Bulgaria or someplace far away, that I'm seeking out the doppleganger," Klaus replied after thinking about it for a few short moments, his voice quiet yet commanding, "anything else he asks you, you can make up on a whim. If you tell him the truth, I'll see to it that this whole village is slaughtered, clear?"

Caroline nodded reluctantly, seething beneath her calm facade.

"Oh, and Caroline? I shall return for you." Klaus smiled menacingly before truning to leave, mounting his horse. Caroline ran out to the courtyard, stopping him before he could flee.

"You plan on riding into my village on chariots of fire, to put the fear of your name into my people. I'm going to ask you not to do that, Niklaus. I can see you whenver I feel the inclination to, and if, when I look at your future, I see the destruction of my home, I will have relocated by the fortnight. You'll never find me." Caroline said quietly to him, so that no one else could hear, though they were all watching.

"I'll do as I please, love. Chariot of fire and all. I've got eternity to find you, my sweet, and it would give me great satisfaction to break you by truning this place to ash." Klaus replied cruelly, a satisfied grin on his face.

"You won't get the chance to, Nik." Caroline replied just as sweetly as he did, with a bit more malice and intent.

"Why is that?" Klaus asked, impatient with her drabble.

"I'll see you...and I will burn you." Caroline replied, standing as still as the mountains, unyeilding to his winds. He scoffed at her, his horse shifting it's weight as he looked down at her.

"I'll see you soon, sweet Caroline." Klaus jeered, leading his small malitia out of the village and down up the mountainside. Caroline watched him leave, standing her ground, in the same spot he left her. She could've sworn he had truned back to glance at her, but she brushed it off, turning back to her tent and closing the leaves so she could sit in peace.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and story follows, I really appreciate it! I'm sorry it's taken so long to come out with the second chapter, I've just been having a hard time writing this story. I know this chapter is pretty short and choppy, but don't worry, the rest will be better, I promise. The purpose of this chapter is just to get the ball rolling so I can start writing the parts of this story I've actually planned out. Since I'm not exactly sure on everything I'd like to do with this fanfic, leave suggestions/what you'd like to see happen in the reviews. If I like your ideas, I'll probably incorporate them somewhere in the story & give credit! So ask, review, criticize, anything is accepted! **

** Once again, thank you for reading my story, and you can expect an update within the next week!**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of it's characters.**_

Five months later, the King was back in the village, searching for Caroline. She felt lowly and miserable. She didn't want to be enslaved by Klaus, used as a tool, a catalyst. Yet, she couldn't do a thing about it. Run? No, he'd have her village burned to the ground. Fight back? How? And who was to say this wouldn't be a better life for her? Klaus obviously needed her, he wouldn't kill her, and even if he tried, she'd see it before it happened, she'd be able to run. She'd have more options. If she played her cards right, she could be treated like a queen, travel the world, never go hungry again...

What was left here for her anyway? _Free will, family, familiarity,_ a voice in the back of her head whispered. It didn't matter, anyway. She had no choice. And Klaus had listened to her, he hadn't rained down fire upon her village. Maybe she was just making everything out to be worse than it was. But what could be worse than being taken to a cold, stone castle in the mountains, ripped from your life and your family, all ties severed?

Caroline walked up the hill to her home, gathering all her belongings, which were scarce, and joining her family in the main room. They were all sat around, her mother weaving threads and her siblings playing games on the dirt floor.

"Caroline," her mother looked up from the mill, her face scrunched up in confusion, "I thought you were going into town again today...we really need the money, sweetheart."

She grimaced. That was another thing to worry about, the money. Without her there to bring in money, her family would surely fall apart. She felt trapped, as if she had no choice. Run from Klaus, and they'd be slaughtered, comply to Klaus, they'd fall into financial disrepair. She'd have to figure something out, request a favor from Klaus, something.

"I have to leave the village." Caroline said, catching the whole room's attention. Tears streamed down her face as she crossed the room to her mother.

"Caroline, what are you talking about?" Mrs. Forbes asked.

Caroline kneeled at her mother's feet, tears streaming freely as she grasped Mrs. Forbes' hands, showing her what had occured yesterday. Her mother looked so confused, her eyes watering up as she started to comprehend what was happening.

"No," Mrs. Forbes whispered, "There has to be some other way, you can't just...and he can't take you away...no."

"He can, though." Caroline replied. It was wrong, yes, but Niklaus was very powerful, he always got what he wanted. And his ancestry was no secret among the villagers, they knew of his being something unnatural, even if they weren't quite sure of what exactly he was. It made them fear him enough to comply with his every whim, no one would help a person running from Klaus or dare to defy him. "I'm so sorry. I don't have a choice."

Caroline rose, hugging her Mother and saying farewell to her siblings. She glanced back once before passing the threshold, though she wished she hadn't. Her mother was crying into her hands, her little sister watching them as her younger brother stared at her. She'd never be able to forget.

Caroline sniffed angrily, wiping away her tears, looking at the ground as she stalked forward. If she would've been looking up, she would've seen the tall figure standing before her, but she walked right into him. As she touched him, she realized who it was, and flashes of her nightmare, or what seemed to be her nightmare, flooded her eyes. She was looking forward, but all she could see was the hall. It faded in and out until she was in an elegant ballroom with Niklaus, he was twirling her around the dance floor, gazing at her in complete adoration.

Caroline fumbled slightly, she'd never seen parts of her future before, just others'. Why was this happening? The only other time she'd had a vision through her own eyes was when she saw Niklaus coming for her, and when she dreamed, and those weren't really visions, they were fabrications of her mind. When she blinked, she met ice blue eyes, the same eyes that had stared her down five months ago, that had watched her as she was seeing his demise. If only that had been real. If only she had shut up about Mikael coming. But that wouldn't have worked either, people would've died.

"Caroline," King Niklaus uttered sweetly, "what did you see?"

"Nothing of importance." Caroline replied shakily, stepping around him. He darted back in front of her, like neither of them had moved an inch.

"You've been very loyal to me this far, sweetheart, you wouldn't want to _break_ that streak now, would you?" Klaus threatened. The way he said the word "break" made her cringe, as if she'd actually heard the snap of bones beneath his feet. Caroline simply reached for his hand, but before she could touch him, he was suddenly closer to her, cradling both of her hands in his, his eyes closed, waiting to see what she'd seen.

Caroline watched with him, the scene in the balck, glittering hall, then as they danced in a ballroom, him twirling her gracefully. Klaus smiled, exhilirated. Caroline recoiled in disgust and fright. Niklaus smiled wickedly at her, drawing her to the carraige and shackling her wrists. He'd already made it clear that, if she were to lash out, he would punish her by massacring her family and burning her home to the ground, he'd already beaten her. He was just a monster that needed the satisfaction of a physichal object embodying her defeat: shackles and chains.

Once they were in the carraige, alone, King Niklaus appeared in front of her. He'd moved her to face him as he took her hands in his own, leaning towards her as he closed his eyes, "Show me my kingdom, fifty years from now." Klaus ordered gently.

Caroline watched his face as she complied, looking up to examine every hard line that defined his jaw and every smooth curve of his cheeks, his long, gold lashes that glittered in the sun, his dark, ripe lips, his strong chin, his long torso, his broad shoulders. He was a very beautiful monster, "Show me Mikael." he said, face scrunched up in concentration.

Caroline did her best. It was easy to see a someone's location if she focused on that person in particular, but it could be hard to know when they'd be there. She could see Mikael, and that's what she showed KLaus, but she didn't know where or when he was. Klaus urged her on, asking her to show him more and more until he was satisfied. She was surprised when he asked her to show his family, back before vampirism, when he was a young boy out playing with his brothers, little Rebekah running after them, shouting all the while. It was beauitufl, she had to admit.

Caroline opened her eyes to find him staring at her in awestruck wonder, "You have a rare gift indeed, my Caroline." Klaus said, his voice gravely and low.

"No," Caroline replied, taking her hands from his and distancing herself from him, "you do. The power that seeks me as an outlet is everyone else's but mine. I can see your future and your past, but not my own, an enslavement almost as degrading as this one." she said quietly, devoid of emotion, holding up her shackles.

It wasn't entirely true, though. An hour ago, when she had touched him outside of her home, she had been _there_, dancing with Niklaus. It was the first time she'd ever experienced anything like that outside of her nightmare and the vision she'd had about Klaus coming for her, but she didn't know what it meant._

The castle was large and grand, as well as the grounds and stables, with tall stone walls and intricate gothic architecture, gargoyles and all. It was built in a rare location, atop the mountain range, where there was quite a sizeable clearing decorated with tall, dark trees and a fresh spring that supplied crystal clear, ice cold water. This castle looked to be that place that dark fairytales would occur, the place where the beast took beauty, where the evil step-mother would lock Rapunzel away in a tower, a place of pure majesty and wonderment, but also a place where screams erupted in the middle of the night, where lightning flashed and thunder rolled and blood was spilled.

Klaus moved toward the castle's entrance, beckoning for Caroline to follow him. She did, if not reluctantly. She expected there to be a drawbridge and a moat or something, but instead, there were large oak doors with wrought iron framework, encircled by shimmering stained glass windows. Caroline grew inherently nervous as she trailed Klaus up the stone walk and through the doors. She'd heard about Klaus' estate in the mountains before, from wealthy travelers that had been lucky enough to make it up the mountainside and back without being slaughtered by the nightwalkers in the forest between the mountain range and her village.

Stories of adventuring and scarcely surviving this journey had been told in her village since she could remember. Apparently, there was an abundance of bloodthirsty creatures between King Niklaus' home and the rest of the world, and one could about imagine the supplier of these monsters. As a young girl, Caroline had always day dreamed about visiting the castle, to be treated as royalty and to dance with handsome princes from across the country. That was back before she knew what sort of a man and ruler Klaus was, back when everything was fabricated from fairytales and Kings were jolly old men, not blood-drinking murderers.

Caroline stepped onto black granite that shimmered beneath her scarcely-clad feet. She could feel the cold, hard stone on her skin, imagining slipping on the slickery surface and cracking her skull. It would be so easy. Everything in this place was cold, apart from the sun shining in through the crystal windows and stained glass masterpieces. This place far exceeded her expectations. She could envision fancy women trailing down the split staircase into the arms of their partners, off to dance in a grand ballroom. If it weren't for the dark shadows and the lack of life in the castle, it would've been a place of magic. She could almost feel the air stirring, music playing, people laughing and children running around at the adults feet, everything she'd dreamed of since her mother had told her bed-time stories about beautiful princesses in far-off lands.

All she could see now was the dark man that walked ahead of her, whose home held many secrets, that, despite herself, she was itching to unravel and dive into. With Caroline's unusual ability came a whole lot of curiousity. Although she could see most aspects of a person's life, she couldn't access their thoughts and emotions. And as hidden things are meant to be hidden, they stay that way.


End file.
